Living
by HakushoRurouni
Summary: AU. Ash got Pikachu all because he overslept-a mistake. However, another mistake has far more dire consequences and changes the life of Ash Ketchum completely.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone. I know it has been an incredibly long time since I posted ANYTHING, and I am terribly sorry about that. I have no intentions of abandoning my stories, though being in college now does seem to put a damper on any creative flow I may have had.

Anyway, this idea popped into my head when I went back and watched the first couple of Pokemon episodes a few weekends ago. Please, don't kill me, I just really want to give this one a try and see how we do. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING related to Pokemon, sans this new plot bunny.

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Ash sat dejectedly in the waiting area of the Pokemon Center, his head in his hands and his breathing short and ragged. It had been over two hours already, and neither Nurse Joy or the Chansey assisting her had given him an update on Pikachu's status.

He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been! What in all of Kanto had possessed him to attack that Spearow in the first place? They were well known to be one of the more ill-tempered bird Pokemon in the whole region, and he'd knowingly provoked it. He couldn't believe how much of an idiot he was.

And now Pikachu was in bad shape, and he might not make it.

'_NO!'_ Ash yelled at himself, '_that's not what I should be thinking! I need to stay positive! For Pikachu.'_

Another hour passed with still no word from the nurse. Ash was steadily losing his resolve due to fatigue, and he wasn't sure that he would be able to stay up much longer.

And then, the doors to the Pokemon Center burst open, revealing a raging redheaded hurricane, carrying the charred remains of her bike, and looking to kill. Ash gulped, the feeling of fatigue lost to the more powerful one of fear.

'_Oh shit.'_

"YOU!!! I'M GOING TO _KILL _YOU!!! YOU. DESTROYED. MY. BIKE!!!!!" Yelled the redheaded girl as she stomped into the Pokemon center, her ruined bike held aloft.

Ash could hardly believe that anyone was capable of shattering the sound barrier, but this girl was coming pretty close. Then the seriousness of the situation came back to Ash, and he held up both of his hands, pleadingly.

"Please, wait. I know I took your bike, and I know that it was destroyed by my Pikachu's attack, but right now, Pikachu's in real bad shape, and I…I can't handle both of these things right now. Please…."

Ash could feel the tears threatening to fall, but he held firm, the only sign of his worry visible being the slight falter of his mouth as he fought to keep the sobs in.

Seeing the distraught boy in front of her, and noting the sincerity in his eyes, Misty lowered the bike to the floor and calmed almost instantly. She went over to the boy's side and sat in the chair next to his. "Okay, I'm sorry about that. I didn't know how bad things had gotten."

Ash shook his head, "It's not your fault, it's mine. If only I hadn't been so stupid…" he trailed off again, his head falling back into his hands.

Misty felt her heart go out to this boy. She slowly put her arm around his shoulders, trying to reassure him. "Shh, just relax. There's nothing you can do now but wait, kay?"

The boy nodded dejectedly, his shoulders slumping.

"I'm Misty by the way, Misty Waterflower."

The boy looked up, a tortured grimace on his face, "I'm Ash, Ash Ketchum. Nice to meet you Misty, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

Misty gave him a sad smile, nodding, "Same here Ash."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Misty asked, "So how long…"

"Three hours fifty-two minutes and twenty-seven seconds…twenty-eight…twenty-nine…" counted Ash, hardly raising his head to answer.

"Oh." Misty gasped, her free hand going to her mouth in shock. Pokemon, no matter how badly injured, were notoriously fast healers. For one to be out this long…

Just as she thought that, Ash started to talk. "You know, I just started out on my Pokemon journey today. I got Pikachu from Professor Oak in Pallet Town, that's where I live."

Misty blinked in confusion, "But…aren't the starter Pokemon for beginning trainers usually Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander?"

Ash let out a soft, reminiscent chuckle, "Yeah, and I was supposed to get one of them. But, I stayed up late last night and I sort of…overslept."

Misty stared in shock, disbelief evident on her face. "You…you _overslept?!_" At Ash's nod of confirmation, she began to laugh.

Ash couldn't, in retrospect, deny the fact that his oversleeping on what was probably one of the most important days of his life was comical. He let out a regretful chuckle, laughing along with Misty.

'_She has a pretty laugh._' He thought, as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

Just as Ash was going to continue his narrative, the light signaling that the Emergency Room was in use turned off with a small _PING!_ and the doors opened slowly, revealing Nurse Joy and her Chansey assistant.

There was no sign of Pikachu.

'_Maybe he's just resting. Yeah! That's it! He's so exhausted that he has to stay in his room and sleep it off!_'

Ash and Misty both stood up abruptly, running over to Nurse Joy, Ash firing off question after question.

"How is he? Is Pikachu all right? How long will he be out? When can he and I take off?" Ash was ecstatic, _finally _Pikachu was all right and they could get on to conquering the Pokemon League together.

As Misty looked on, not questioning but just as concerned about Pikachu's condition, the look on Nurse Joy's face stopped her cold. There was no concealed joy, not even the satisfaction of a job well done. She looked…dead.

'_Oh no.'_

"Mr. Ketchum…I…well, there's really no easy way to say this. Your Pikachu…he…he's…" as she struggled to finish, Ash saw a lone tear make its way down the nurse's cheek.

And realization came crashing down on him.

"Wha…what is it?" he asked warily, this wasn't supposed to be happening.

"He's…alive." She finally ground out, sniffling.

Ash's face lit up immediately, and he turned to Misty and pulled her into a joyous hug. His Pikachu was alive!

"Misty! Did you hear that?! He's alive! Pikachu's alive!!"

Misty was smiling just as widely, her relief just as enormous as Ash's as she hugged him back. It looked like her instinct was wrong.

"Mr. Ketchum…" whispered Nurse Joy solemnly, getting Ash's attention once again, "You…you didn't let me f-finish."

The excitement of moments before died in an instant.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Your Pikachu is alive…for the moment. But...but he won't make it through the night." She stifled a sob, trying to be strong for the Pokemon's trainer, "He doesn't seem like he will last another half hour."

Ash face fell, and his eyes began to water, "You…you're lying. He can't be…please no! He's my first Pokemon…he's my best friend!" Ash staggered away from the nurse, falling to his knees as he finally lost his composure. "No. NO! Pikachu…no." The sobs were racking his body as his hands hit the floor, the tears flowing freely.

Misty felt her heart break for him. What had he done to deserve this? She dropped to the floor beside him and wrapped her arms around the sobbing boy. She tried to soothe him, to reassure him, but she was at a loss as to what to say.

"Oh Ash…I'm…I'm so sorry." Ash's arms wrapped around her, desperately looking for support, begging her not to leave him in this cruel reality. And Misty found herself all to willing to help him, even though they'd only formally met not minutes before. She couldn't-wouldn't-let him go through something like this alone.

Nurse Joy watched the scene in front of her, biting her lip in an effort to keep her tears at bay. With a shuddering breath, she spoke up again, "He's still with us for the moment, and I think you should go and see him and be with him right now. He wanted to see you as well."

Ash nodded, but found that he lacked the strength to even stand on his own. Misty slowly helped the boy up, trying not to shock him unnecessarily. They made their way slowly through the emergency room doors and into the room where Pikachu was resting, small instruments attached to his head and arms, monitoring his vitals. The heart monitor emitted a slow beep but Misty noticed with horror that the beeps were becoming less frequent.

Seeing his Pokemon laying on the bed, seemingly asleep, brought Ash back to his senses. The fact that Pikachu's ears didn't even perk up as he approached was evidence enough of his dire condition. Ash let himself out of Misty's helping grasp and ran to his companion's side, the tears never stopping as he dropped to his knees.

"Oh Pikachu…I…I'm so sorry. Th-this is all m-my fault!" Ash grabbed at the railing on the bed, clutching it tightly in his frustration and guilt. "I…I was so, so s-stupid! I never meant for any of this to h-happen. I never meant for y-you to get hurt. And n-now you're d-d-dying because of _me_!" He sobbed.

At the sound of Ash's apology, one of Pikachu's ears twitched, and the Pokemon wearily opened one eye. On seeing its trainer in such a distraught state, Pikachu smiled weakly, "Pikapi."

Ash looked up, and couldn't help but smile back at the electric Pokemon in front of him. Even in his weakened state, Pikachu was trying to be strong for him.

"Hey buddy. I'm s-so sorry. This wasn't s-supposed to h-happen," he stuttered, trying his hardest not to breakdown.

"Pi, pika pikachu pikapi." (It's not your fault Ash.)

Ash shook his head in defiance, "Yes it is! If I hadn't've been so arrogant as to think I could have _made_ you listen to me, none of this would have happened. I should have…I should have earned your trust before I even thought of taking on a wild pokemon. But I was so _stupid_!"

Misty and Joy shared a look with each other. They both felt like they were intruding on this very private moment and together, silently left the room.

"Pikapi, pika pi kachu ka pika. Kachu pika pika." (Ash, you weren't arrogant or stupid. The only reason I was so stubborn was because I've been around longer than any of those other pokemon that Professor Oak had.)

Despite the tears in his eyes, Ash couldn't help but be curious. "W-what do you mean Pikachu?"

"Pi pika kachu pi chu pika ka pika pika chu. Chu ka pika pi, kachu pika pi Pikachu." (Well, most starting trainers are given pokemon that are only a few days old. That's why it's so easy to train them and bond with them. They are innocent enough to take what their trainers say as law and they are eager to please.)

Ash nodded his head, signifying his understanding. The electric mouse continued, though now his speech was growing weak.

"Pikachu pi kachu pi pika chu chu kapi pika."

(Me…I was born in the wild and it was about six months or so after that that Professor Oak caught me. Naturally, I was more reluctant to follow your commands, and well, this is the end result.)

Ash sat back, stunned. No wonder Professor Oak had been so reluctant to give Ash Pikachu! He knew Ash would have a difficult time training him, and he didn't want to put that burden on such an inexperienced trainer.

But, being the stubborn, headstrong child that he was, Ash had begged and begged the Professor until he had finally caved.

Looking back at his companion, Ash saw that he was starting to slip away.

"Oh Pikachu!! Please, don't leave me! You…you were my first friend. You saved me…how can I…what am I supposed to do without you? I don't want to lose you!"

The tears that had stopped flowing during Pikachu's revelation returned full force, and he gently scooped up the small pokemon, hugging him to his chest.

Pikachu, with all the strength he could muster, pulled slightly away from Ash, determined to set things straight with his trainer.

"Pikapi kachu pika! Ka chu chu kapika chupika. Pika pi, kachu, pi pi pika, kachu kapi pi pi chu!" (Ash, you listen to me! This _isn't _your fault, it's just…just how life is. Sometimes things happen that you never expect, and you have to learn to keep going.)

"Pi pika ka chu pika, pi kachu pika. Kachu pi chu pika, ka pika pi chu pika pika."

(I know it's hard, but I'm not going to make it past tonight. But promise me something.)

Sniffling, Ash looked to Pikachu, "What? Anything! What can I do?"

"Pikachu pika, pika chu chu kachu. Chu pi pika, ka chu pi kachu pikapi."

(Promise me that you'll keep going, that you won't give up on your dreams. My life, whether by fate or by accident, is…is over, and you can't dwell on it Ash.)

Ash's jaw dropped, "B-but Pikachu! I can't d-do that! I can't just _forget_ I ever met you!!"

"Pikapi, ka pika pika chu pi pikachu. Pi pika, chu pika pi pika, chu pika pichu."

(Ash, I didn't say you had to forget. I just want you to keep going, and not let yourself fall just because of an _accident!_ You have your whole life ahead of you! This might change it, but it should _never _stop it!)

With a sigh, Ash saw that Pikachu was right. Rubbing his tears from his face, he nodded, "I can do that buddy. I won't forget you. Never."

A weak smile stretched its way across the pokemon's face.

"Pika. Kachu pika chu. Pika pika, chu ka pi chu pikachu pika."

(Good. Thank you Ash. Just remember, life is too short to live in the past. There's nothing worse than realizing you've missed out on your own life.)

At this, Pikachu tensed, a spasm of pain shooting through his small body. The machine he was hooked up to immediately began beeping in erratic patterns as his breathing quickened.

"Pikapi, pi pika, chu ka pika pika pika. Chu ka pi pika, kachu pi, pika chu, ka chu pika pi?" (Ash, whatever you do, don't forget to love. Keep your heart open to everyone that you meet, human and Pokemon. If you do that, you'll not only be a good friend and trainer, but an extraordinary person. All right?)

Ash's tears were now falling freely as he nodded emphatically, pulling the tiny Pokemon close to his chest in a gentle hug, "Oh Pikachu, I know w-we weren't able to r-really get to k-know each other, but I love you Pikachu. I'm s-so sorry about everything!"

"Pikapi, p-pika ka chu….pika, pikachu." (Ash, stop it. And I-I love you too…bye, friend.)

And with that, Pikachu went limp in Ash's arms.

He didn't breathe and he didn't move.

The heart monitor stayed on the same tone.

Pikachu was gone.

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A/N: And end chapter. Let me come out and say it: I am sorry if there are a bunch of spelling mistakes or anything of that sort running around in abundance in this. I don't have a beta and it's harder for me nit-pick my own work after typing and re-typing things all over.

Anyway, tell me what you think. All critiques are welcome, plus any ideas you might have on what can be improved upon. Maybe even Ash's new Pokemon......

-HakushoRurouni


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay ladies and gents, here we go with the second chapter of this story. However before we continue on, I'd like to take a moment to thank those of you who managed to find the "Review" button down at the bottom of this page.

Seriously, when I came back to I was so lost, what with all the new changes and add-ons, etc.

_Random:_ I've been debating whether or not to keep Ash's original team intact myself. But, logic dictates that with a change of this magnitude, events will play out differently. This chapter _might_ give you a little bit of a taste of what I mean.

_Yereton:_ I'm glad you're strapped in for the ride! And that the last chapter was able to open the floodgates…of emotion!

_Keiko Sahara:_ Thanks for the praise! I know what you mean in regards to too much Ash and Pikachu, though that's not to say that I hate them. I love Pikachu's character, but I just thought it was time to go for a different approach. Trust me, I've fought with myself over which Pokemon Ash should find, and every single one you mentioned crossed my mind.

_InTheYearOfTheCat:_ Now now, let's not insult those who are no longer with us. Though I'm glad to see that there are more than two of us who would like to see a different take on Pokemon. Can't wait to hear more from you!

And now, on with the second chapter and hopefully an intriguing plot line!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters. They belong to…their creator, who's name escapes me at the moment.

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In the weeks following Pikachu's death, Ash had decided to travel with Misty and try to pick up where he had left off.

It wasn't easy.

There was absolutely nothing he could do when it came to Pokemon-not without his own anyway. Sure Misty had offered to battle for him when they encountered wild Pokemon, but Ash had declined. It wouldn't be the same.

Nothing ever would.

And it wasn't as if Ash was overly enthusiastic about training anymore. Sometimes, he and Misty would walk in awkward silence for hours passing up pokecenters and towns like they were nothing. His eyes weren't devoid of emotion; they just seemed to be stuck in mounting depression.

Misty was worried about her friend.

They had gotten to know each other a lot better over the weeks and she knew now that when he had set off from home, his greatest desire had been to become a Pokemon Master. He had wanted to catch them all, and prove to his rival, his friends, and his mother that he was someone more than the over excitable kid they all thought they knew.

Now though, the only times he ever really came out of his shell were over dinner while they were sitting around their campfire. Misty smiled fondly at one of the brighter memories of the last few weeks.

They had stopped to make camp for the first time after leaving the pokecenter, and Ash had been quick to volunteer to gather the wood for the fire, automatically delegating the task of preparing food to Misty.

And he had quickly come to regret his decision.

How one managed to destroy half of their food supplies and any and all clothes he had been planning to use with just boiled water was a mystery that he never wanted to figure out.

Needless to say, Ash was now on food duty.

Apparently Ash's mom, Delia Ketchum, had seen fit to keep her son around the kitchen while he was growing up. And he had picked up a lot in the ten years he'd been observing.

Misty had nearly cried out in ecstasy when she had dug in to their first dinner made by Ash. She hadn't stopped raving about it for hours, and truthfully Ash was pleased with himself. He even offered to teach her what he knew, just in case he wasn't there and she needed to make her own food. Of course she had agreed instantly, and the lessons had begun the next day.

Looking over at her companion now though, she realized that he had withdrawn back into himself again. He was remembering and blaming himself again.

Misty sighed.

'Oh Ash…' she thought as she repositioned her backpack on her shoulder, 'why won't you let yourself _forgive _yourself?'

She had been trying so hard to get him to stop dwelling on things he couldn't change, and she had thought they were making progress. But seeing his slow, unenthusiastic gait and his bowed head, she could see that he was just as bad as he had ever been.

Misty didn't know what to do.

Sure grieving was natural, but to go on this long without any sort of improvement in his condition? 'I'm not trying to sound heartless,' she told herself, 'it's just…not _healthy_. And I don't want him to be like this all the time. I want to get to know the _real _Ash.'

She stomped her foot in frustration.

Hearing this, Ash turned slightly towards her. "Something wrong Misty?" he asked hollowly.

Misty's eye twitched.

Ash shrugged, turning away from her and continuing forward.

That did it.

"ALRIGHT!! THAT'S IT!! ASH KETCHUM, IF YOU DON'T GET OFF YOUR DAMN PITY POT AND START _DOING _SOMETHING WITH YOUR LIFE, I'M GOING TO BEAT THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF YOU!!! YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!?!"

Ash continued to walk on as if he hadn't heard the redhead's outburst.

Enraged at being ignored, Misty lunged at him, grabbing him by his shoulder and violently spinning him around so that he was facing her.

"DON'T YOU _DARE_ BLOW ME OFF LIKE THAT ASH!! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!!" Seeing him averting his eyes away from her, Misty shook him roughly, catching his attention, "LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT!! I KNOW YOU'RE GOING THROUGH A ROUGH TIME ASH, BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP ON MOVING FORWARD!!"

"Well I'm trying to but you won't-"

She cut him off, "I MEAN _MENTALLY_ YOU IDIOT!!" Sighing heavily, Misty managed to calm herself down, "Look, Ash I know Pikachu-" Ash flinched at the mention of his lost Pokemon, "Stop that! I know Pikachu meant a lot to you, even though you had him for only a day, but you can't tell me he wanted you to be like this."

When he didn't respond, Misty continued, "You can't keep blaming yourself for something that was out of your control Ash. It won't do you any good in the long run."

Something flashed in Ash's eyes, and he seemed to tense. Quietly he spoke, "B-but it is my fault."

"NO Ash, it _isn't_!"

"Yes it is! Yes it is…if-if I had just been less stupid and cocky…if I hadn't have been convinced I could catch that Spearow by myself…he'd…he'd still be a-alive right now."

Ash started to shake at this, out of anger or sadness, Misty couldn't tell. "Ash…"

"I hit it, the Spearow. I picked up a rock and…and threw it at him. He…Pikachu, he was up in a tree, trying to get as far away from me as possible. I didn't know w-why at the time…I thought he would just-just listen to whatever I told him to do.

"B-but I…he…I was determined to catch a Pokemon…to show him that I w-wasn't some s-stupid trainer that he could just ignore…and…I threw the rock…I-I k-killed…"

Misty shook him again, this time breaking into his reverie, "No you did _NOT_!! Stop saying that!!"

"B-but I d-did…" he protested weakly.

"No you _didn't!_" Sighing in frustration, Misty continued, "Do you know what Nurse Joy told me while you and Pikachu-" he flinched again, "-were talking?" At the shake of his head, Misty continued, "She said that all of the wounds that he got from the flock of Spearow shouldn't have been enough to kill him."

Ash stopped, listening intently now.

"In addition to the wounds from the Spearow, there was also massive burn damage all over Pikachu's-" flinch, "-body. _Electrical _burns. In addition to that, he was completely drained of energy. Ash, you didn't kill Pikachu…he did. He overexerted himself, and it just so happened to be more than he could handle."

Ash's eyes widened, disbelief etched into his face. "He…he…?"

Misty nodded, "He died…to protect you. He died so that you could live. He loved you Ash, even if it wasn't evident at first."

Something Misty said sparked a memory from weeks earlier. Something that Pikachu had said…

_"I didn't say you had to forget. I just want you to keep going and not let yourself fall because of an accident….promise me that you won't give up on your dreams…life is too short to live in the past…keep your heart open to everyone you meet, human and Pokemon. If you do that you'll be not only a good friend and trainer, but an extraordinary person…I love you too…friend."_

All at once, everything came crashing down on Ash as realization hit him full in the face. He fell to his knees, bracing himself with his hands.

"ASH!" Misty cried, kneeling down next to him in concern.

"Oh Misty…" Ash whimpered, tears falling to the dirt road beneath him, "Oh Misty h-he's gone! He's g-gone…"

"Ash…" Misty whispered, wrapping her arms around the distraught boy in front of her, "It's alright, just let it out."

And he did.

Neither knew how long they stayed there, kneeling in the middle of the path, but they stayed until Ash couldn't cry anymore.

Now calming down, Ash spoke softly, "Misty…you-you're right. It wasn't my fault. Pikachu told me the same thing. He…he also told me that I…that I had to live. He said I had to keep moving forward, because life is too short to live in the past."

Misty held him tighter, realizing that this just might be what Ash needed to start healing properly.

"I guess…I guess I just needed a reminder. H-he made me promise not to stop; he said I had t-to keep chasing my dreams…haha. That blasted mouse…he was right…you were right. I-I'm sorry I've been such a bad traveling partner Mist…I guess I just needed a little push in the right direction, huh?"

Misty smiled brightly at him as she pulled away slightly, "I guess you did Mr. Ketchum, I guess you did."

And for the first time in a long time, Ash smiled back.

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A/N: End Chapter 2. There you have it ladies and gents, another chapter courtesy of a weekend sitting behind a desk. Again, thank you to those of you who reviewed, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy this story.

Now, I do have something to ask those of you reading. Name two Pokemon, any two Pokemon, that I could possibly use in this story. I've drawn up a blank. Personal acknowledgement and cameo appearances to those who's ideas I use.

-HakushoRurouni


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Well, here we are again ladies and gentlemen, and so soon after chapter two. For some bizarre reason I just seem to love this plot and ideas are, currently, popping into my head faster than I can contemplate.

To those of you who have reviewed, thank you! You all rock.

_AMG22:_ That's what I'm going for, at least, in that first chapter. Interesting Pokemon choices by the way.

_DBZFTW: _Great minds…think alike.

Disclaimer: I still do not own Pokemon, and, the way things are currently going, I never will.

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Not a day after Ash's breakthrough, he and Misty found themselves just outside of Celedon City with both of their stomachs growling hungrily.

And no food.

"You know the first thing I'm gonna do when we get into Celedon Mist? I'm gonna bust down the door of the closest burger joint, and order a triple meat, triple cheese monstrosity and eat it in two friggin' bites!" Ash groaned, trying desperately to not collapse from food deprivation.

"Oooh! Stop it! Don't talk about food while we're starving our butts off Ash! I don't think my stomach can take it for too long!" She was interrupted by a loud growl that came from the depths of her aforementioned anatomy. "I think my stomach is eating itself!!"

"D-drama queen!" Ash teased lightly, a smirk gracing his face despite the immense hunger grating on his mind.

Misty only stuck her tongue out at him, giggling at their antics. She really was getting to like this "I'm-going-to-live-now" Ash.

A lot.

It seemed to her that this was what Ash might have been like from the beginning had things gone differently. Now that he'd started to come to terms with reality, he seemed so much more…_alive_.

Another growl permeated the air, though this one came from Ash.

"Foooooooooooooooooood!!" Ash moaned, clutching at his stomach as he stumbled forward. "How far did you say Celedon City was Mist?"

Grateful for the distraction, Misty pulled out the Town Map that Ash's mother had given him for his Pokemon journey.

Why wasn't it Ash who had the map? Well, let's just say that map reading for Ash was what cooking was to Misty. Turnabout was, of course, fair play. Misty had agreed to teach Ash how to read a map in return for the lessons he gave her on cooking.

"Well, it says here that we should be…" looking up to make sure, Misty stared blankly ahead, her eye twitching in annoyance as she saw the bustling city not five feet in front of them, "…here."

Ash's head perked up instantly at the news, staring for only a fraction of a second, before taking off like a rocket towards the city, screaming, "SWEET CIVILIZATION, HOW MINE EYES HAVE LONGED TO BEHOLD THEE!!!"

Misty couldn't help but laugh outright as she took off after Ash.

As they neared the heart of the city, Ash ran up to the first person he saw, which just so happened to be an older man, and fell to his knees in front of him, clasping his hands together pleadingly, "My good sir! My dear, sweet, good sir! Please, dost thou know the whereabouts of an establishment of nourishment?"

Misty had to slap her hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out in gales of laughter. When Ash wanted to, he sure could make a scene.

The man, perplexed and quite frightened, pointed to his left, "T-there. There's a diner right over there next to the Game Corner. C-can I…go now?"

Ash stood up abruptly, his new destination in mind, "Yes my good fellow, yes! Many thanks and may many long years…er…many _more_ long years of happiness find you!"

With that, he was off again, Misty following close behind, her hunger coming back full force now that she could see the neon sign that blared "_Golden Trough Diner_".

Luckily, for the diner, the doors were wide open. Had they been closed, the force with witch Ash and Misty were flying towards them would have caused devastating damage to the patrons of the diner, and the door itself. As it stood, several people were already staring at the moving heap of flesh that was Ash and Misty, who had tried to fit through the door at the same time.

They had been unsuccessful.

_Horribly _unsuccessful.

"Ash?"

"Yeah Mist?"

"You do know that you _can't _run _through_ another human being, right?"

"Of course Mist."

"Then would you mind explaining to me _why_ you felt the need to attempt such a Mew-forsaken feat on _me?!"_

There was a short silence before Ash answered.

"Science my dear Ms. Waterflower, science."

More silence.

"Ah. Science."

"Indeed."

"So…would you mind explaining the uh, _science_, behind the current placement of your hand upon my person?"

The silence that met this query was the longest yet in the series of questions and answers that the diners had the pleasure of observing. Then, Ash spoke.

"…Theory. I am…er…_was_ testing a theory. Now that I've gathered all the necessary data I-"

CRACK!!

As Ash lay twitching on the ground sporting a rather sizeable bump on the top of his head Misty, cool, calm and collected, made her way to the cashier and ordered her food as if nothing was amiss.

A collective shrug seemed to run through the other patrons as they went back to their meals, thinking almost nothing of the exchange that had taken place.

Dragging himself up to the counter, Ash was about to order before the cashier, who was female, gave him a scathing look, huffed at him, and walked straight into the kitchen without a word.

Ash's eyes went wide as he realized that he might not get to eat at all today, at least not at this diner.

Shoulders slumped in defeat Ash trudged towards Misty, who had taken a seat at a booth in the back corner of the restaurant, and sat down heavily in the seat opposite her. He let his head fall into his hands as he sighed in agony.

"I'm _never_ going to get to eat!! The cashier thinks I'm a pervert and she wouldn't take my order."

"Well," Misty said as she fiddled with her backpack, "you _did_ act as if you were completely within your rights to keep your hand where it was Ash."

Ash moved his arms before banging his head on the table. "Ow. Misty, you know I didn't mean it! It was an accident!! I'm really, really, really, _really_ sorry!!" He looked up at his companion, his eyes pleading for forgiveness, hunger forgotten, "I really _am_ sorry Misty, please don't hate me! Forgive me, PLEASE?"

Misty couldn't help but smirk at Ash's apology, though she was genuinely touched to see such sincerity in his eyes. He really was sorry and he wasn't just saying that in order to get out of trouble.

"Okay Ash, you're forgiven. Now move your big head so the waitress can put the food down."

Looking up, Ash saw the cashier from before holding _two _plates of food in her hands, one of which held a gigantic, three patty burger.

"Misty?"

"Yes Ash?"

"I LOVE you!!"

"Love you too Ash."

The waitress set both plates of food down, winked at Misty, and left back towards the kitchen.

Both teens dug into their meals with great relish, having missed the taste of proper food dearly. After their first bite, Ash and Misty sat back to savor the flavor that was currently exploding in their mouths.

"You know, I've never had anything taste as good as this burger does Misty, it just…defies description. It's like a heavenly jubilee in my mouth!"

Misty snorted into her burger and came up coughing at Ash's heartfelt description. "You i-idiot! You almost made me choke!!"

Smirking, Ash took another bite out of his burger, somehow managing to open his mouth wide enough.

Misty simply stared in awe as Ash's jaws seemed to unhinge in order to accommodate the encroaching burger. He reminded her of an Arbok that she had seen back in her youth, as it devoured a Rattata for its dinner.

"Disgusting…yet, oddly fascinating."

As their meal was coming to a close, Ash and Misty overheard a conversation from the booth behind theirs.

"Honestly, you expect me to pay you for that piece of shit? It's, what, two, three feet long at most? It's pathetic; we'd never get people in the Game Corner if all we had to offer were stupid, tiny, _runt_ Pokemon!"

"Oh come on, it's not that bad! It's just…just give it awhile! It'll get bigger!"

"No! Get that damned thing _out _my sight! And don't even bother to come back with any other Pokemon. As far as I'm concerned, you're done here."

With that, a large man got up and walked out of the diner, leaving a smaller, angry looking man in the booth he had just vacated.

"That's it," the man said as he stood up, "I should have killed the damn thing when I first saw it. I never should have brought it in the first place!" There were the muffled sounds of a small scuffle, before the man walked past, grasping the head of a tiny Dratini in one hand and its tail in the other.

Ash and Misty looked at each other in alarm before glancing quickly around the rest of the diner. Although the man had made a rather hasty exit, it seemed that the two of them were the only ones who had heard any of the exchange and the man's parting remarks.

"Misty…we've got to stop him! He's going to kill that baby Dratini!" Ash hissed, getting up quickly and pulling out his wallet.

Misty nodded, "I know Ash, but we've got to hurry before we lose him! Who knows how far he's going to go."

Leaving the money at the table, Ash and Misty bolted out the door, looking both ways to try and find their quarry. After a tense few seconds, Misty shouted, "There!"

Turning to look where Misty was pointing, Ash saw the man moving swiftly with the Dratini in his arms, no doubt trying to make sure he avoided suspicion. Ash took off, Misty hot on his heels.

-----

They followed the man past the Game Corner and across the wide-open central street of Celedon. They saw him make his towards the outskirts of the town, leaving behind any and all witnesses. Strangely however, the man never turned around to see if he was being followed.

After another minute or two, the man stopped, took a quick glance in front and behind him. Ash and Misty narrowly managed to avoid his gaze by dropping low into the tall grass they had stopped in.

Convinced he was alone, the man held the Dratini out in front of him. The poor Pokemon was so small, it looked like it had hatched only a few days before.

"Now you listen to me you damned runt!" the man growled, his face set into a brutal scowl and his hands squeezing the Pokemon hard, "It's all your fault that I lost my job! If you hadn't've been so damn small, I'd have sold you for a good chunk of change!" His grip tightened even further on the tiny Pokemon, and Ash and Misty were appalled to hear the high-pitched cries of pain it let out, each one seeming to wrench at their hearts.

"Tini! Tini! Tiiii!!"

In its struggle, the tiny Dratini managed to break the hold the man had on its head. Quickly, it turned to face the man, opening its mouth and loosing a small but nevertheless effective Dragonbreath attack.

It caught its target in the face, and the man dropped the Pokemon as he clutched his face in agony. "Dammit!! My face!! You fucking little bastard!! Ah!"

As he pulled his hands away, Ash and Misty saw a nasty looking burn that would definitely leave a scar. The half of his face that was untouched seemed to be the only side that could move without pain.

"Now I'm going to kill your sorry ass for doing this to me!!" Reaching into his jacket, the now scarred man brought out a Poke ball and threw it yelling, "Ryhorn! Get out here and gut this little worm!"

The spiky, hulking form of the Pokemon burst out from its confines, landing with a heavy thud. Heeding its master's wishes, the Ryhorn reared its head back a let out a loud roar in preparation of its charge.

Thinking quickly, Ash turned to Misty.

"Mist, you've got your Starmie with you, right?" At her nod, he continued, "And ground and rocky type Pokemon are weak against water types," another nod at this, "I'll go get the Dratini, you and Starmie take care of this jerk's Ryhorn, alright?"

Misty nodded, shocked at Ash's ability to dish out orders and think rationally while they were in a tight situation. What really shocked her was the fact that she followed the orders without question.

"Go Starmie!" Misty yelled throwing her own Poke ball out as Ash sprinted towards the Dratini.

The Ryhorn was closing in on the small Pokemon rapidly; it's horn lowered and deadly. For a few seconds, Misty wasn't sure whether Ash would get there in time.

At the last second, Ash dove for the Dratini, scooping it up gently and cradling it close to his chest before rolling through his dive.

"What?!" The man bellowed, his head darting painfully from Ash to Misty and her Starmie, "Who in the hell do you little fuckers think you are?" His Ryhorn growled in annoyance as well, perturbed that its victim had been taken from it.

"My name's Ash Ketchum and you have no right to kill this poor Dratini!" Ash shouted back, pulling the Pokemon closer to his chest protectively.

"Grrr…mind your own business kid! That thing was more trouble than it was worth, and it's so damn small that it deserves to die! It wouldn't last a minute in the wild by itself, and the fact that I killed its parents to get its egg just means that it doesn't have anything left to live for anyway!"

"How dare you!" Ash shouted, horror stricken at that last revelation, "What kind of sick monster are you?"

The man smirked, but cringed as his burns seared with pain, "The kind that you ran screaming from at night kid. Ryhorn," he barked turning to his Pokemon, "kill 'em both!"

"RY!" With that, the Pokemon charged head long at Ash and the Dratini.

"Starmie quick! Hydro Pump and stop that Ryhorn!" Misty shouted, prompting her Pokemon into action.

"Hyah!" The star shaped Pokemon spun into the air, letting loose a vicious torrent of highly pressurized water at the charging Ryhorn.

Its aim was true as the water not only hit Ryhorn head on, but picked it up and launched it into a tree ten feet away. Once it made contact, the tree snapped, crashing to the ground on top of the rock Pokemon.

It didn't get up.

The man growled again, "Ryhorn, return!" Once his Pokemon was back within the confines of the Poke ball, he turned towards Ash and Misty, "You fucks are going to regret that. Oh yes, you are going to regret that very much." He reached into his coat for another Poke ball, when the sound of sirens rent the air all around them.

The man sneered, withdrawing his hand and instead reaching into his pocket pulling out another Poke ball, clenching it tightly in anger, "You got lucky this time punk. But mark my words: I'm going find you. I'm going to get you. I'm going to _kill_ you."

With that, the man tossed the Poke ball.

"ALAKAZAM!"

"Alakazam, Teleport." Grabbing on to his Pokemon, the man turned to Ash one more time, rage clearly evident in his face, "I am going to kill you. Give him something to remember us by Alakazam."

The Pokemon moved its spoons in a small circle, its eyes closed in concentration. The spoons moved faster and faster and then its eyes shot wide-open, glowing a fierce blue.

"ALAKAZAM!"

A small, dark pulse of psychic energy shot towards Ash in the blink of an eye. The small Dratini in his arms doubled Ash's scream of pain, before he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

With a malevolent laugh, the man and his Alakazam were gone.

"Ash!" Misty cried, bolting to her fallen companion, "Ash?! Wake up! Wake up Ash!!" When he didn't respond, Misty could feel tears of worry start to well up in her eyes. "Ash, please wake up! _Please_!!"

Despite her attempts at reviving him, Ash's eyes remained closed, his body unresponsive. Misty looked over Ash's body again and she gasped as she saw a bloody gash on his lower left arm. It was a nasty looking wound and Misty found herself unsure of what to do.

Looking down at the baby Dratini clutched in his arms, she noticed that it too had received a gash, though smaller, but just as horrible as the one on Ash's arm.

Now Misty began to panic. Dratini was only a baby; it couldn't lose too much blood without it being fatal. What was she going to do?

Just then, she heard the squeal of tires and the smell of burnt rubber behind her.

"Ma'am? Is everyone all right?"

-------

A/N: End chapter three. I don't know what to say. These things just keep popping out. I'm just hoping you guys are reading them! Well ladies and gents, I hope you're enjoying the chapters as much as I'm enjoying writing them.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop a review, even if it's totally trashing the story. There's only one way to get better at anything when writing and that's via critiques, suggestions, and new points of view.

And the Pokemon suggestion is still open as well.

-HakushoRurouni


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: And riding the incredible plot bunny high, I'm continuing my chapter writing binge! I really liked how the last chapter was able to come together, and I really hope that the rest of the story falls into place as well.

As always, a big thank you to those of you that reviewed!

_DBZFTW:_ You're welcome, though I have to say my choice for Ash's first new Pokemon was really hard to decide.

_AMG22: _Don't worry, if Ash hasn't kicked the bucket yet in the real Anime, he's got no chance of doing so anytime soon!

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Pokemon. If I did, the painstaking task of translating every single word into English from Japanese would be grounds for the complete and utter destruction of the franchise.

------

There was nothing but darkness surrounding Ash as he regained consciousness. No lights, no sounds, and no signs of life. Sitting up, he immediately regretted his decision as a sharp pain seared through his head.

"Oh…my _head_." He moaned, putting a hand to his forehead in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain.

'Oh…my _tail_."

Ash head shot up.

That last thought…hadn't been his.

"H-hello?" he called, to who he wasn't sure, but he knew someone was here with him, wherever here was. "Is s-someone…who's there?" There was silence for a while, before a tentative voice answered.

"A-are you…are you the one who saved me?"

It was a soft voice, innocent and kind. For some reason, Ash knew without a moment's hesitation who that voice belonged to.

"Yeah, yeah I am. And, you're the Dratini my friend Misty and I saved, aren't you?" he asked, curious.

"Yes. And I'm really grateful for that. Umm, what's your name?" Asked the timid voice, and Ash was sure that it was feminine.

"I'm Ash, Ash Ketchum. I'm a Pokemon trainer, from Pallet Town. What about you? What's your name?"

"I…I don't have one. That man, the one who tried to kill me, he-he said…he said that he took me from my parents…when I was just an egg. He said that he…that he killed them…they never gave…I've never had a name."

There was a deep sadness that was clearly evident in Dratini's voice as she said this, and Ash could feel his heart breaking for the Pokemon who had never known its parents, or their love.

'Kind of like me and…and Pikachu.' Ash thought, his features softening considerably as he recalled his lost friend.

"Who was Pikachu?" asked Dratini.

Ash stiffened. He hadn't said that out loud, so how had she…? "Can you…hear my thoughts?"

"I…don't know. I thought that you had said that out loud. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…please, don't hurt me!" Although Ash couldn't see her, he could picture the Dratini cowering in fear, terror in her eyes and bracing herself for pain.

"Hey, hey…come on Dratini, you don't have to be scared of me. I'm not…I'm not like that man. I would _never_ hurt you. I promise you that. And I wasn't mad that you heard what I…well, I guess what I thought. I was just wondering."

His words seemed to calm the Pokemon, as her voice sounded less tense when she spoke next, "Oh, okay Ash."

An easy, comfortable silence settled over the two. If he listened carefully, he could make out the little Pokemon's thoughts.

'_Ash seems really nice. I hope…I hope he likes me. Maybe…maybe I could stay with him! Maybe he would be my friend!!'_

"Pikachu was my first Pokemon."

Dratini's thoughts stopped abruptly, her attention now riveted on Ash's thoughts.

She could see everything that he was thinking, everything that he was remembering. How Ash had come to receive his Pikachu, how he had accidentally provoked an entire flock of Spearow into attacking. Everything was laid out before her.

The hardest part was watching as Ash had lost his first friend, and how he had fallen into a deep depression for weeks, until Misty had snapped him out of it.

"Oh Ash…I'm so sorry."

Ash let a half-smile grace his face, "It's alright Dratini, don't worry about it. I'm getting better. Slowly but surely, I'm getting better. But I do have a question for you."

"What is it Ash?" she asked, her curiosity making her forget the fact that she could easily read his thoughts.

"Would you mind if I…if _we _thought of a name for you? It just…kind of feels weird to call you Dratini all the time, you know? Kind of like it's too…_impersonal_."

Dratini thought about it for a second, before she consented, "You're right Ash. I can see where you're coming from. It would be like me calling you 'human' all the time." She giggled at that, a light sound that made Ash want to laugh, "But…what should my name be?"

"Good question. Hmm…well, I think you need something fitting for who and what you are. You're barely a baby, but you've already been through so much. You've lost your parents, been through Mew knows what, and yet, you've still managed to come through all of it relatively unscathed." Ash thought out loud.

"Right. And I've made a brand new friend who has been through just as much as I have, in his own way, and he still went out of his way to help me and keep me safe." Dratini chimed in.

"Huh…it's like we're both getting ready to start over, you know? A new beginning," Ash spoke, thinking deeply.

Suddenly, he had it.

"Yes," Dratini thought, "that one is perfect! And it has meaning for both of us."

Ash smiled, "Yeah, you're right. But before I officially christen you with your new name, I have to ask you another question."

"No you don't," Dratini countered. At Ash's confused thoughts, she laughed again, "I can hear your thoughts, remember Ash?"

Ash could feel himself blushing as he chuckled despite his embarrassment, "Heh, oh yeah. But, can I ask you officially anyway?"

Another laugh.

"If you must, though you already know my answer Ash."

"Will you…would you like to be my Pokemon? My friend? My ally?"

"Technically Ash, that was three questions but….yes, yes aaaaaaaand….YES!" Dratini squealed.

Ash could feel his face light up with happiness and suddenly, the darkness that had been engulfing the two vanished, revealing the two connected minds to the other.

"Then welcome to the team, Aurora."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

To say Misty was worried would be putting it lightly.

She was _terrified_.

Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst out of her chest at any moment. After Officer Jenny had gotten them all to the nearest Poke center, seeing as Dratini's wounds were the more pressing of the two and Nurse Joy was just as adept at working with humans as she was with Pokemon, Misty had been forced into the waiting room. The adrenaline rush was just starting to wear off as Officer Jenny finished up with her questioning.

Now, two hours later, she was just beginning to nod off when Nurse Joy came through the doors from the back of the center.

"Miss Waterflower?"

Startled, Misty shot up, "W-what? What's going on?"

Putting a hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her, Nurse Joy spoke again, "It's alright, I've got some good news. We've managed to get that little Dratini of yours stable, and we've stopped the bleeding from both of their wounds, though Chansey and I were a little puzzled at first when they wouldn't heal outright."

Misty smiled, relieved that both of them were all right, "So…can I see them now?"

Nurse Joy smiled back, nodding, "Yes, only both of them are still unconscious, so you might have to wait for a bit until they wake up. Follow me."

Down the hall and through another set of double doors, Misty was soon at the door with Nurse Joy. "Well," the ever-enthusiastic nurse spoke, "this is their room. I'll be up at the counter, so if you need anything, either come get me or let one of the Chansey know." With a smile, she walked back out to the front of the Poke Center.

Misty quietly opened the door to the room and she couldn't stop the smile that came to her face at the sight that met her eyes.

On the bed lay Ash; eyes shut in a deep slumber, the baby Dratini they had saved wrapped securely in his arms and just as comfortable as the boy holding it. Even unconscious, Ash managed to look as adorable as ever, a thought that sent a small blush rushing across Misty's face.

Shaking her head to clear it, Misty made her way over to the chair that stood in the far corner of the room and brought it to the head of the bed where she sat down, easing her pack off of her shoulders and placing it at her feet.

Sighing, Misty took in her surroundings disinterestedly noting the bright white paint adorning the wall that seemed the stereotype for hospitals worldwide. In fact, the only things in the room that were _not _white were Ash, Dratini, and herself.

Turning to the two currently in her thoughts, Misty noticed the wounds that Nurse Joy had been talking about. Though they had been cleaned, Misty saw that there were stitches instead of healed skin. Ash she could understand; he was a human after all and the medicines that were normally used to heal Pokemon wounds, even if they were open and bloody, wouldn't work the same on him.

Dratini however was another story.

It too was stitched up, but there was no good explanation that Misty could think of to answer why. Nurse Joy had said that she and her Chansey hadn't known what to make of the wounds. This only caused Misty to worry, her eyebrows knitting together as she bit her lip in frustration.

Then it dawned on her.

It _had _to have been that man who had been trying to kill Dratini. He and his

Alakazam had attacked Ash just before they had teleported away, and this was the outcome.

She looked closer, and was shocked to discover that the stitched skin seemed to make a picture on Ash and Dratini's skin. Ash's was located on his left shoulder, having turned in the face of the oncoming attack in order to shield Dratini. And the little Pokemon's was in the middle of its two-foot long body, marring the white underbelly.

Sighing again, Misty lifted her hand to Ash's cheek, gently running her fingers across it.

'_Dammit,'_ she cursed, _'why did he have to steal _my_ bike?'_ She groaned aloud, though her fingers now slowly stroked his raven locks, _'He's cute; I'll give him that. I'm not going to jump to conclusions though. This is just a phase, and what I'm feeling is just result of traveling with him.'_

There was a stir beneath her hand, and she snapped back to reality.

Looking down, she saw Ash's eyes open and looking at her, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Hey Mist."

Blushing scarlet, Misty did her best not to draw too much attention to her hand as she slowly lowered it to her side."H-hey. Feeling better Mr. Hero?" And just like that, she had managed to turn the potentially awkward situation into one of their regular conversations.

Ash chuckled lightly, his own cheeks flushing, "Yeah, a lot better actually. And so it-OW!" Pain had transfigured the previously happy expression on his face as he tried to move his left arm to scratch his head. He hissed in pain, his right hand clutching his shoulder reflexively. "What the…?"

"Ash! Be careful! You're still hurt from that Alakazam's psychic attack. Both of you are!" Misty cautioned as she put a placating hand on his uninjured shoulder, "And don't forget, you're holding Dratini!"

Ash's eyes snapped open and shot to the small creature in his lap.

"Aurora."

Misty looked at him oddly, "What?"

"Her name," Ash clarified with a smile, "her name's Aurora."

Misty looked perplexed, "Ash…you've been out of it for hours, when exactly did you and…Aurora…have time to decide on a name?"

"Misty, I could tell you, and you probably wouldn't believe me." Ash laughed, lightly running his hand over Aurora's smooth skin.

"_I can tell her if you want me to Ash. She might be more likely to believe you if the story came from the source, right?"_ Aurora had woken up, and she was looking up at her trainer with happy purple eyes, waiting for his response.

Ash nodded, figuring that it couldn't hurt for Aurora to try. Though he was a little unsure as to how she would be able to communicate with Misty.

As Aurora turned toward the redhead, Misty couldn't help but coo at the tiny Pokemon, her fingers immediately finding a tender spot beneath, "Oh Ash, she's so _cute_! Hey there Aurora! My name's Misty and I'm friends with your goof ball trainer."

Nuzzling her hand, Aurora lifted her eyes to Misty's, _"I know who you are Misty, Ash told me all about you."_

Misty froze, staring in shock at the creature before her. "D-did you…_talk_?" She heard Ash snort and turned to look at him, "Can you hear her too?"

"Yup, and your face was priceless Mist," he laughed, sticking his tongue out at her.

Scowling, Misty turned back to Aurora, wanting a further explanation.

The tiny Pokemon nodded its head and continued, _"Both of you can hear me, though I'm not too sure how or why. But I'm willing to bet, as is Ash, that it has something to do with the psychic attack we endured. It kind of seems like it has enhanced whatever latent psychic abilities we may posses."_

Misty looked at the tiny Pokemon through wide eyes, "How…how can you even comprehend that kind of stuff Aurora? I mean…you're just a baby!"

There was a light, ethereal giggle that permeated her thoughts, _"That's exactly what Ash said. You two are too cute."_

Misty's ear burned at this and Ash's eyes widened considerably.

"B-but…I wasn't anywhere near the blast! How…how can I even…I don't have any sort of psychic abilities!!"

"Misty," Ash whispered, "It's…it's nothing to be ashamed of! Just think of it as…well…think of it one hell of an inside joke! We'll always be able to keep things to ourselves through Aurora, it'll be fun!"

Misty sighed, "Ash, it's not that I'm ashamed, it's just…well, I've always been fond of _not _sharing my thoughts with everyone all the time! It's an invasion of privacy!"

She felt her hand being nudged by Aurora and she looked to the Pokemon, _"Don't worry Misty, I would never tell others your thoughts, especially if they were really private. But that's also why we need to go to Saffron City."_

"Huh?" Ash questioned, looking at Aurora curiously, "You didn't say anything about that Aurora. Why Saffron?"

Misty too was curious, nodding her agreement at his query.

"_Well, the man with the Alakazam had to cut through Saffron to get here, and while we were there I kept hearing rumors about the gym leader. Apparently, she is a powerful telepath herself, and I thought that maybe she could help us. You know, teach us how to control it so we don't invade each other's thoughts without permission." _

Misty and Ash both turned to each other at Aurora's explanation.

"It's not a bad idea." Ash said agreeably.

Misty nodded, "It's worth a shot."

Aurora trilled happily, _"So? Are we agreed on Saffron as our next destination?"_

With a smile, Ash answered pumping his fist in the air, "Yes ma'am we are-OW!!"

Sighing, Misty dropped her head to her hand, "Ash, what are we going to do with you?"

---------

A/N: End chapter four. Well folks, there you have it! I'm really enjoying writing this story, though much of the plot is coming to me on a whim, so it might not be entirely sound.

At any rate, I'm hoping you guys are loving this story as well. Feel free to drop a critique, comment, or anything related to the story, as I'm always open for suggestions.

I'm still looking for two more Pokemon ladies and gents!! Those suggestions are still welcome and will be considered in depth!

-HakushoRurouni


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Well, here we are again ladies and gents! This shall be chapter 5 and things are starting to move along a little faster for Ash, Misty, and Aurora. With their next goal in mind, can the three figure out exactly what is going on with Sabrina's help?

I would like to thank those of you who took the time to review and drop a couple of suggestions, as they were greatly appreciated.

_Keiko Sahara:_ Thanks a lot. I'm glad you like it so far. The challenge now come with keeping it constant in the story.

_AMG22:_ I am too, as now they can get on with their journey. Thanks for the review. I dare say someone is reading my mind...

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of their characters. I only own the plot.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After an excruciating three-hour diagnostic prior to their release at the Pokemon center, Ash, Misty, and Aurora found themselves on the short trek to Saffron City.

Aurora, her small body formed around Ash's neck, was currently sleeping away the hours, content to let the two humans do all the work. Apparently, there were some perks to being a "baby" in both of their eyes, mostly Misty's.

"You know Mist," Ash spoke, his hands tucked comfortably into his jean pockets, "I've been thinking about catching a few more Pokemon, but I'm worried that Aurora might still be too young to really be safe in battle."

Misty nodded, "I know what you mean. She's too cute to fight!"

Ash laughed softly, "No Misty, I mean…how can I catch Pokemon without weaking them first?"

"Oh Ash, you shouldn't really worry about that. If you insist on battling with her, which I think would be stupid because she's a cutie and you'll just get her all mussed up, then she'll be fine!" Glancing at her companion, Misty continued, "Dratini in general, though small, are really tough Pokemon. Have you even checked what your Pokedex has to say about them?"

Ash could feel a blush streak across his face, "Hehe…uh, no."

Misty shook her head at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. Even when he was being too dense to think straight he still managed to make her smile.

Ash reached for his pack gently, careful not to wake Aurora from her peaceful slumber, but he couldn't get to the zipper. "Grrr…Misty, can you help me please?"

A small giggle escaped her lips as she moved to his backpack. Undoing the zipper, she reached in, looking for the high tech encyclopedia amongst the region map, some spare money, and his sleeping bag. With a triumphant, but muted, cry Misty pulled out the Pokedex and fell into step beside Ash.

Flipping the device open, she held it up near Dratini and was rewarded with an electronic voice, "Dratini the dragon Pokemon. Dratini continually molt and shed their old skin because the life energy within their bodies steadily builds to uncontrollable levels."

With that, the device, it's job done, turned off.

"Hmmm…well, that wasn't as educational as I thought it was going to be," Misty sighed, "But I guess it can't be helped." She put the Pokedex back into Ash's backpack, zipped it up, and continued walking.

"Well, at least now we know that Aurora isn't dying when she starts shedding her skin." Ash said as he readjusted his backpack on his shoulders.

"Dork."

"Aww Mist, that was uncalled for, I didn't do anything!" Ash pouted, stomping his foot in protest.

Her laugh wasn't marked this time, and it managed to jar Aurora awake.

"_Dear Mew! Who's running their nails over the chalkboard?! My ears!!" _

Ash's eyes widened as he slowly turned to look at Aurora and then to Misty. _"Aurora…"_

"NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD HUH?! I'LL SHOW YOU YOU LITTLE…!!" Misty's tirade was cut off as Ash burst out,

"AND HERE WE ARE! SAFFRON CITY!!"

Thankfully, this managed to diffuse the situation, though Aurora was still giggling madly in the back of his mind. _"Tell me you didn't do that on purpose Aurora."_

"_Alright,"_ she thought, _"I didn't do that on purpose."_

Shaking his head in exasperation, Ash turned to Misty, "You ready to find the gym?"

"Yeah," Misty replied enthusiastically, "It's time to solve this psychic riddle!"

As they walked through the city, they took in all the sights around them. Though not as big as Celadon by a long shot, Saffron had a thriving population. People were milling about in every which way, some going shopping, others conversing with friends.

After a couple of streets with no success, Ash and Misty finally managed to find the gym. However, there was a slight problem.

There were _two _gyms.

And they looked exactly the same.

"Dammit, why don't they differentiate between the two?!" Ash growled, taking his cap off in frustration and running a hand through his hair, "Why would you paint them the exact same color? Honestly!"

"Ash?" Misty called sweetly.

"Yes Misty?"

"It's this one over here."

"Now how would you know that?"

"They have signs. This one says: Saffron City Gym. Leader: Sabrina the Psychic Pokemon trainer."

"_Haha…" _Aurora started.

"Must've missed that…" Ash muttered sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"_Hahahahaha…"_

"Obviously. Dork."

"My heart! She has been pierced by thou vicious tongue!"

"I weep for your lost innocence Ketchum. Really, I do."

"_HAHAHAHA! YOU TWO ARE ADORABLE!!"_

Both trainers turned toward the tiny Pokemon, at least Ash _tried_ to, seeing as how Aurora was still wrapped around Ash's neck.

"YOU BE QUIET!!" They shouted in unison, causing several people to stare at them oddly. Blushing a dark crimson, both trainers quickly turned away, hiding their embarrassment.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash as the door to one of the gyms slammed open, revealing a tall, intimidating man with long red hair, in a black and red long-sleeve collar shirt, purple cargo pants, and a pair of black boots. He was holding something small and round in his hands, looking at it in disgust.

As he came closer, they could hear what he was muttering, "Stupid egg…it won't give me anything useful. Just another weak Pokemon."

Before Ash could move, the man had crashed right into him.

With an annoyed grunt, the man looked down with a sneer on his face. "Watch where you're going you pathetic weakling." Turning to go, the man stopped and glanced at the egg in his hands. With another scowl, he spun back to face Ash, "Here. Take this useless thing off my hands. A useless egg for a weakling trainer, I want nothing to do with it. Strong Pokemon are all that matter."

He thrust the egg into Ash's hands and then marched off without another word.

Blinking a few times, Ash growled, "What a jerk! Who the hell does he think he is?"

Misty however, was more interested in the egg that he held. "That's…a Pokemon egg!"

"_Bright little ray of sunshine aren't you Misty?"_

Misty shot Aurora a scowl before she turned back to the egg, "Oh, it's cold! Ash quick, you need to make sure that it stays warm or else the Pokemon inside will die!"

"What?! Alright, umm….do you think it's safe to keep it in my backpack? I can wrap it in my sleeping bag!" Handing Misty the egg, Ash quickly shrugged off the backpack, unzipped it, and began to clear a space for the newest addition to their party.

"Okay, it's ready Mist."

"Here Ash. Just be careful from now on, okay? We don't need you backing up into a wall and making a Poke-omelet."

"_Oh, that was horrible. Bad form Misty, bad form."_

"Aurora's right Mist…that was a bit…_morbid_." Ash added, shaking his head as he slid his pack back on, mindful of the new passenger.

"It was a _joke!_ That's all! I didn't mean it!!" Misty cried, stamping her foot angrily.

"Come on you guys, let's see if we can get Sabrina to help us with our…_unique _situation." With that, Ash walked towards the psychic's gym, Aurora right where she had been from the start, and a still grumbling Misty bringing up the rear.

Upon entering the gym, an unsettling wave of foreboding fell upon all three of them. Cautiously proceeding forward, the absence of trainers, or anyone for that matter, was beginning to get the better of them.

"You know," Ash said, swallowing nervously, "I'm beginning to think that this might've been a bad idea."

"_You and me both Ash. There's something _wrong_ here."_

"That makes three of us," Misty whispered, her face wary and fear filling her voice.

Suddenly, the doors behind them slammed shut, the noise reverberating throughout the vast, empty hall.

Looking around fearfully, Ash spoke up, "H-hello? Is there…is there someone there?" After receiving no answer, he continued, "Please, we don't want any trouble. We just…we just want help."

Another eerie silence filled the hall, before a voice reached their ears.

"You have to play with me! You won't get anything unless you play with me!! Haha!!"

It was the voice of a little girl, though there was more than a little malice woven into the ominous statement. The most unsettling thing however, was the fact that there was no body to put the voice to.

"_I think…I think we should get out of here you two."_

Nodding in agreement, Ash and Misty spun around and ran towards the closed doors. But they were locked. No matter what they tried the doors wouldn't give. Even Aurora using a Slam attack couldn't get it to budge.

Slightly crazed giggling tore through the hall yet again, this time even louder, "Uh uh uh! You don't get to leave unless you play with me! Play! Play! Play!!"

"Dammit!" Ash cursed, "I guess we have no choice you guys. We're gonna have to fight Sabrina if we even want her to listen to us. What do you think Aurora? You up for our first battle?"

A nervous sigh came from the Pokemon, and Ash could feel her tense up at the prospect of battle. _"We're going to have to break the ice sometime Ash. I guess there's no time like the present."_

Misty cast concerned eyes over both of them, her hand reaching out to grasp Ash's arm as she spoke, "Are you both sure? I mean this isn't exactly a small step. This is…well…it's kind of like being thrown into the pool by your parents without being taught how to swim!"

Ash smiled in reassurance as Aurora nuzzled Misty's cheek. "I think…I think we'll be fine Mist. The worst that could happen is us having to play with her, right?"

Misty, satisfied, smiled back at Ash and moved her hand to lightly scratch Aurora's head. "Right, okay. I'm with you guys, let's go."

The trio made their way through the long hallway following the walls and trying to find the source of the voice that had forced on them their current ultimatum. It didn't seem to be getting them anywhere though, as every turn seemed to lead back to someplace they had been before.

"_This is...unnecessarily ridiculous!! She wants us to "play" with her, whatever in Mew's name that means, and yet she seems to have made it impossible to _find _her!!"_ Aurora had finally gotten fed up with their endless searching.

"I know, I know. But there's really nothing that we can do about it Aurora, not until we find Sabrina at least." Ash soothed, gently running his over her small body in an attempt to calm the irate Pokemon.

"Wait," Misty said excitedly, "there! There it is!! That's a gym arena, I'm sure of it!!"

And indeed it was.

As Ash and Aurora followed Misty's gaze and finally saw what they had been looking for, both gave a relieved sigh.

"Thank Mew, I was beginning to think this was some kind of stupid game." Ash growled.

Looking over at her fellow human, Misty saw that a determined glint had taken over his eyes. He was completely serious and totally absorbed in the task that was set before him. She had never seen him so…focused. It was like there was nothing that could possibly distract him from his goal.

A small shiver ran up her spine as she thought about what it would be like to have that gaze focused upon her. Fighting down a blush and clearing her head, Misty turned to Ash.

"You two ready?"

Ash looked at her and shot her a confident grin, "I hope so."

"_Dear Mew, please tell me you've thought about _some_ kind of strategy in the past half hour we've been walking! I don't want to get destroyed Ash!! I'm still a baby! I haven't even had a chance to see the world or…or fall in love…or even have _sex!!!_ I don't want to die a virgin!!"_

Ash and Misty stared at Aurora with wide eyes, completely floored by her hysterical rant. They turned to each other; mouths open and faces stricken with horror as what _exactly _Aurora had said sunk in.

"I…I…I don't really know how to respond to that Aurora. T-t….wow." Ash stuttered, his hands covering his eyes as he tried to get over his shock.

Misty had her hands over her ears muttering, "My ears!! My poor, poor _innocent _ears!! They _BURN!!!" _

At this, Aurora started to laugh uncontrollably, hear small body convulsing in unadulterated pleasure. _"You two…are s-so…_easy!_" _ She had to stop at this, as her laughs began to overwhelm her. Taking a deep breath she continued, _"Don't worry about it Ash, Misty. I'm pretty sure that we can take whatever she throws at us…within reason of course."_

Ash shook his head, his face now back to its original one of serious determination. "That's not what I'm worried about you guys."

Misty and Aurora looked at him, surprise evident in their faces.

"Then," Misty asked softly, "what _are _you worried about Ash?"

Ash sighed, his mood turning somber, "How am I supposed to protect Aurora's innocence and virtue?"

Misty cracked first, a smirk gracing her face as she shot a hand up to her mouth to stifle the gales of laughter that were surely following.

Ash didn't last too much longer, his eyes sparkling in mirth as he tried to hold in his laughter. Not two seconds later, he was hunched over and trying to keep himself from falling to the floor as the laughter shook his body.

"_Yes, yes. Let's all laugh at the Dratini. All she wants to do is live to see tomorrow and you turn it into something stupid. Shall we get on with this? I need to regain my dignity."_

With a snort, Ash strode forward, Misty just behind him. As they walked through the door, they caught sight of their opponent.

Sitting on a big, high-backed chair was a young woman, who looked to be about eighteen years old, with long, dark hair that fell to just beneath her shoulders. Her face was stiff and she lacked any sort of emotion in her piercing blue eyes. She wore a red collared uniform with gold buttons and black pants along with black boots.

Sitting on her lap was what appeared to be a small doll dressed in a white dress with a matching summer hat.

"I see you finally made it."

To their surprise, the doll was the one who spoke. And it was the same exact voice that had taunted them earlier.

"Hmmm…you don't look very tough. This should be short and easy. Then, when you lose, you'll have to play with me!"

Ash looked to Misty nervously, unsure now exactly what they were dealing with. She gave his good shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'm here Ash, I've got your back."

He nodded with a small smile. Turning to Aurora, he whispered, "Ready?"

"_As I'll ever be. Let's do this."_ With that, Aurora leapt from Ash's shoulder and slithered up towards the middle of the arena.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Ash shouted, "I choose you Aurora!"

"Haha! That thing? It can hardly move, and you expect to defeat me? You're really silly." The battle hadn't even begun and already the little doll was mocking them.

"_That's it. I'm going to take this psychic bitch down. _Hard._"_

Ash growled in agreement, noticing his pokemon's determination growing exponentially and feeding off of it.

"Very well little boy. We'll start."

With that, the little doll on Sabrina's lap tossed out a poke ball. As it hit the ground it opened, unleashing a bright white light as the pokemon held within came out.

"I choose Abra. This battle is now underway."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: End chapter 5. Well folks, I have to say that this one was an interesting bit to write. Unfortunately, life seems to want to make things hard for me and a lot of this is coming slower than before. But fear not, as I will push myself to make things as good as possible, and have chapters out as quick as possible.

Pokemon suggestions are still open ladies and gents. I've gotten some pretty good ones to go with those that I've already had, but nothing is set in stone. Drop a review, I'm open for anything. 'Til next time!

-HakushoRurouni


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